Lukashenko Was Humiliated Twice

The dictator has new reasons to be sad.

A representative of the American magazine Time Simon Shuster presented his book "Showman" to Alexander Lukashenko during a personal meeting with him.

The copy presented to Lukashenko is a Russian-language translation of the book, which was published this year by the publishing house Meduza. The eponymous media outlet is recognized as a "foreign agent" in Russia for its critical stance toward the Russian authorities. "Meduza" also talks about events in Belarus - with a mention of mass political repression by the Lukashenko regime.

What does the book "Showman" say about Lukashenko?"

"A former chairman of a collective farm with a drooping mustache"

The ruler of Belarus is mentioned only once in the book, but in a way that is unlikely to please him. We quote part of the text about the first days of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine:

"The first response to these invitations (Zelensky's calls to the Russian Federation for negotiations - S.) came two days later, when Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus, called Zelensky with an invitation. A former collective farm chairman with a drooping mustache, Lukashenko was Putin's closest ally in Europe and a willing accomplice to the invasion. He had allowed Russian troops to gather and prepare in Belarus, which served as a launching pad for the offensive on Kiev. Now he was on the phone, offering the role of mediator. He told Zelensky that a round of peace talks could be organized the very next day."

The book goes on to describe how representatives of the Ukrainian side agreed to meet with the Russians in Gomel, but this led nowhere.

Belarus as a state is also mentioned rarely and briefly in the book. Mostly - as a territory from which the military threat to Kiev was moving.

Another reason for Lukashenko's sadness

The ruler of Belarus has many times sharply, and sometimes even insultingly, addressed Zelensky. Now, in order to please the American journalist, he had to gladly accept a book about heroic pages in the biography of the Ukrainian president.

By the way, in recent years the world has published a dozen really notable, not just passable books about Zelensky in English. The Zelensky Effect, A Message from Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky in His Own Words, Zelensky: A Biography of Ukraine's War Leader, and others.

These books portray the Ukrainian president as a courageous leader who saved the country from the occupiers and motivated others.

What about English-language books about Lukashenko? In the world, despite three decades of his rule, there is little interest in the ruler's personality. There are a few books about Lukashenko in English, but they cannot be called famous.

In 2014, the work of American professor Grigory Ioffe "Reassessing Lukashenka: Belarus in Cultural and Geopolitical Context" was published. The book, which was written in a neutral manner and long praised by propaganda, has not been sold out yet.

Other English-language publications are very critical of Lukashenko: they tell about the dictatorial regime, from which the country's inhabitants suffer. The titles of the books speak for themselves: The Last Dictatorship in Europe: Belarus under Lukashenko (written by former British ambassador to Belarus Brian Bennett), Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship, Alexander Lukashenko: A Historical Analysis of Europe's Longest Ruling Dictator.

Nothing "heroic" about Lukashenko can be found in English-language books: his two main characteristics are a former collective farm chairman and a dictator. And this is another reason for the ruler's sadness.

Mark Dzyuba, "Salidarnasts"

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